E. Yu. Basargina. A Book Donated by the Royal Society of London to the USSR Academy
of Sciences in Memory of Isaac Newton’ Tercentenary // Petersburg Historical Journal,
no. 3, 2026, pp. 9–19.

DOI 10.51255/2311–603X_2026_3_9

Abstract:

Based on archival documents, the article reconstructs the events of I. Newton’s 300th anniversary, which occurred on the Second World War. In the USSR, the anniversary of the English genius became a significant event in both scientific and political life. The Soviet government used the scientific celebration for propaganda purposes, as a political message to the Allies to urge them to rid humanity of German fascism as soon as possible through the victory of the arms of the allied and united countries. In gratitude for the widespread commemoration of the great English scientist in the USSR, the Royal Society of London presented the USSR Academy of Sciences with a copy of the first edition of I. Newton’s book “Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica” (1687), which is currently kept in the St. Petersburg branch of the RAS Archives. The book has a donation inscription and signatures of members of the Council of the Royal Society of London, which the author identified. The imprint on the title page of the book indicates that it is a rarity even among first edition copies. The rarity of the copy, its design, and the autographs of 21 fellows of the Royal Society as well make this copy a unique monument to the history of science. It is emphasized that the gift was not
just a gesture of politeness, but the result of complex political and cultural interaction between the two allied countries.

Key words: Second World War, history of science, intercultural communication, bibliographic rarity, USSR Academy of Sciences, Royal Society of London.

Author:

Basargina, Ekaterina Yurievna — Dr. of Sci. in History, Senior Researcher, Head of the
Department for Publications and Exhibitions, The Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg Branch (St. Petersburg, Russia).

E-mail: akhos@mail.ru
ORCID 0009-0009-2486-4659

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